Saudi national team goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi is injured and updates from the Asian championships

Informed sources revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that Green goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi suffered an injury to the elbow, which raised a state of anticipation regarding his readiness for the upcoming matches.

The Greek coach of the Saudi national team, Denis, explained during the press conference that Al-Aqidi’s injury was not in the head, but in the hand, noting that the technical and medical staff are awaiting the results of the tests to determine its seriousness.

"We will see how serious the injury is. If the problem is major, we will have to replace him," Donis said.

On Thursday, Al-Aqidi is scheduled to undergo comprehensive medical examinations and a thorough examination to determine the nature of the injury and the degree of its impact, in addition to evaluating his ability to participate with the national team during the coming period.

It is expected that the results of the tests will reveal the appropriate treatment program and the duration of the goalkeeper’s absence, in addition to deciding his position on participating in the upcoming matches of the tournament, amid public anticipation to know the developments in his health condition, especially since he is considered one of the important options on the Saudi national team’s roster.

Moroccan Tariq Al-Saktiwi, coach of the Omani national team, confirmed that the confrontation that brought them together in Iraq was difficult given the differences in the preparation and stability phase between the two teams, pointing out that Iraq has a group of players who have been working together for a long time, in addition to the stability of the technical staff, while the Omani national team is still in the stage of building harmony among its members.

Al-Saktiwi said that his team did not enter the match in the desired manner, but it showed a strong reaction after the break, and succeeded in implementing the instructions and taking advantage of the parties, praising the players’ character and their ability to deal with the difficulty of the confrontation and the circumstances surrounding it.

He added that the spirit that appeared inside the locker room represents one of the most notable gains of the Omani national team, stressing the presence of a state of respect and dedication in representing the national team.

The Oman coach expressed his pride in what his players presented, especially during the last minutes, pointing out that the team is still in the formation stage, and that obtaining a point against a strong competitor represents a beginning that can be built upon in the upcoming matches.

On the other hand, Australian Graham Arnold, coach of the Iraqi national team, believed that his team was capable of developing with the successive matches, pointing out that his players had opportunities during the last quarter of the confrontation, and he also gave the opportunity to a number of new elements.

Arnold stressed his belief in the Iraqi national team's ability to perform better in the upcoming matches, in light of the technical staff's efforts to raise the level of harmony and benefit from the elements that participated in the first match.

On Wednesday evening, the Saudi Under-21 national team resumed training in Japan, in preparation for facing Uzbekistan on Friday in the quarter-finals of the football competition at the Asian Games in Nagoya.

Luigi Di Biagio, coach of the Saudi national team, stated that the match with Uzbekistan will be difficult, given that this team has witnessed great development in its performance in recent years. He indicated in his private interview with Asharq Al-Awsat his confidence in the ability of the Saudi national team players to provide their best in this tournament.

On the other hand, the Saudi team won two silver medals, coinciding with the Kingdom’s National Day on Wednesday.

The first Saudi silver medal was won by the player of the Saudi e-sports team, Ziad Al-Faleh, after he came in second place in the overall standings of the game Gran Turismo 7, with 25 points.

The Saudi karate team player, Sanad Sufyani, won second place and the silver medal in the 84 kg competition. He qualified after winning the quarter-finals over Thailand 5-0, then defeating Indonesia in the semi-finals 8-2.

The Saudi tally of medals rose on the fourth day of the tournament to 4 medals (two silver, two bronze), three of which were in karate, which concluded its participation in the tournament, and the last in electronic sports, which will be in tomorrow’s competitions starting at nine in the morning in the Fighting Games competition, which consists of Tekken 8, Street Fighter 8, and King of Fighter 15 games.

On a related note, player Mohammed Al-Nassfan scored the first historic victory for Saudi squash in the Asian Games, after defeating his Chinese counterpart, Pinglin Zhou, in the round of 32, by three clean goals.

Al-Nisfan, who is considered the youngest player in the competition and is ranked 16-32 in the overall standings of the competition, will meet his Pakistani counterpart, Muhammad Irfan, who is ranked between places 5-8, at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Saudi time, in the round of 16 competitions.

It is noteworthy that squash’s participation in the current edition of the “Assiad” is the second participation, after the “Guangzhou Asia’ 2010”.

The Saudi Arabian Athletics Team will launch its participation when it competes on the first day of the Games, Thursday, at Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya.

The two runners, Mayasa Al-Zikallah and Heba Muhammad, will participate in the women’s 100m qualifiers, at 1:49 pm Saudi time, with the runners Abdullah Abkar and Nasser Muhammad entering the 100m qualifiers at 2:00 pm.

Ali Al-Sheikhi, President of the Saudi Athletics Federation, said that the Saudi national team is going through a phase of construction and renewal, and that this does not mean that there is no ambition to achieve an impressive record in the current Asian tournament.

He stated in a special statement to Asharq Al-Awsat that the federation is working with the Olympic Committee on a special strategy to create and discover names and talents from the Sunni groups through centers in several regions, including Medina, Jizan and Bisha, expressing optimism that the Mother of Games will continue its path of achievements in the future.

He explained that athletics is always a candidate for winning medals, stressing his confidence in the names that will participate, and that the age factor was an obstacle to the participation of some elite players because they are from the Sunni groups.